1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image processing system, an image processing apparatus, an image processing method, and a program.
2. Description of the Related Art
When communication is carried out between people, it is very common for a person to share recognition for a location that appears in his/her field of vision (for example, a location where a person or thing that is currently being talked about is present) to other people by pointing to such location with his/her finger. However, aside from cases where such person is capable of directly touching the location in question with his/her finger, in many cases the listener is unable to correctly recognize the location that the pointer (i.e., the person doing the pointing) is pointing at. In such situations, if the pointer is able to describe the location verbally, it becomes easier for the listener to recognize the pointer's intended location from the combination of the pointing and the verbal description. However, when it is difficult to describe the location verbally, such combination of methods cannot be used. As another example, during a meeting, it is common for a speaker to indicate a location to other attendees by pointing using a laser pointer. However, in typical situations in the real world, users do not always have a laser pointer with them, and even if they do, a laser pointer can be dangerous if misused.
However, there is a technology for detecting a user's finger that appears in picked-up images and operating an electronic appliance based on the detected shape, position, or gesture of the user's finger. For example, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2005-63091 discloses a technology that is capable of detecting the shape, etc. of a users' finger with high precision by scanning the width of the user's arm along scan lines set based on a center axis of the user's arm that appears in picked-up images.